Nuevo Honda City.

Sporty, stylish sedan provides high levels of functionality and comfort in a sub-compact package with low running costs

Honda is to build a new compact sedan, the Honda City, at its manufacturing plant in Turkey. The B-segment contender will be sold in Turkey, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, with production commencing at the end of this year. The new model is already available in Asia where its predecessor has been on sale since late 2002, with production centred at Honda Automobile Thailand.

Using the same global small car platform as the 5-door Jazz, the City offers similar outstanding packaging to deliver a degree of interior spaciousness more typical of cars in a higher segment, yet only taking up the kerb space of a supermini.

Key to this apparent contradiction is a centrally located fuel tank, mounted just beneath the front cabin floor. This arrangement together with a compact engine and equally compact suspension front and rear permits a particularly roomy interior. It also makes for a much lower rear floor with the result that the boot is an excellent 500 litres in capacity and, thanks to the unique ‘Magic’ rear seats familiar from Jazz, enables a second load area within the car to be opened up for unprecedented flexibility.

The i-DSI SOHC engine has already demonstrated its performance and economy credentials within the Jazz and the 83 PS/61 kW i-DSI (Dual and Sequential Ignition) design features twin, diagonally mounted spark plugs within a compact combustion chamber. This layout promotes highly efficient burning of the mixture, since the relative timing of each spark plug can be varied depending on engine speed and load. It enables a much higher compression ratio to be adopted while controlling knocking, to achieve a higher output and reduced fuel consumption compared to a conventional design.

City customers will have the choice of either a 5-speed manual or a CVT (continuously variable transmission) which has a semi-automatic 7-speed CVT feature giving added driver control when the mood takes. Slightly lower gearing compared to the Jazz reflects the slightly heavier weight of City.

A flat torque curve peaking at 119 Nm at 2800 rpm underlines the flexibility of the package and Combined fuel consumption figures are likely to be in the region of 5.8 l/100km and 6.0 l/100km for the manual and CVT transmissions respectively.

Despite sharing many of the features that have made the Jazz a resounding sales success, the City has its own distinct identity and unique exterior styling. However the frontal treatment bears a strong family resemblance to other Honda models, while the pronounced lower edges of the doors that give a look of added sturdiness are also familiar from the Jazz.

Overall length of 4390 mm versus the Jazz’s 3830 mm is a result of the City’s large boot, but the two models share a 2450 mm wheelbase. The City is also wider and lower.

Honda expects a strong performance within the Euro NCAP ratings and important features in this respect include an arch type front side frame which plays a key role in directing impact energy back into the floor frame. The cross members of the main frame also surround the fuel tank to provide a protective perimeter and contribute to the high body rigidity.

Extensive NVH measures ensure that travelling in the City is a relaxing experience. Passengers can also stretch out, with the tandem distance – that is the distance between the front and rear seat passengers’ hip points – a class leading 940 mm.

The ‘Magic’rear seat is simple to use and exceptionally flexible – the 2:1 split seat backs and seat bases are fully collapsible to create a flat load floor with boot through loading; alternatively, the rear seat bases can be lifted up and locked to the seat backs to create an innovative secondary load area in the middle of the car which, among many possibilities, is useful for accommodating tall items (up to 1245 mm). And when the seat backs are collapsed, the design of the seatbelts is such that there is no webbing obscuring the opening between the boot and cabin. The front passenger seat back can also be folded allowing long loads to be accommodated.

There will be three grades: S, LS and ES. A generous standard specification on the S model includes front driver and passenger airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, powered door mirrors, driver seat height adjustment, front and rear cup holders, radio/CD player and two front speakers, and body coloured bumpers.

ES grade adds side airbags, 15 inch alloy wheels rather than 14 inch steel, retractable door mirrors, and front foglamps. It also includes Optitron instrumentation, a welcoming feature in which the three main dials, which normally appear black, partially illuminate when the door is opened, and then fully illuminate when the ignition is switched on.

The front MacPherson strut and rear H-shaped torsion beam suspension make their own contribution to packaging efficiency as well as providing excellent handling stability and a high level of agility. Disc brakes all round and ABS with EBD ensure strong and safe stopping ability, and an advanced and efficient electric power steering (EPS) system provides precise control as well as boosting fuel economy.